About CINE

Why CINE was created

CINE was created in response to a need expressed by Aboriginal Peoples for participatory research and education to address their concerns about the integrity of their traditional food systems. Deterioration in the environment has adverse impacts on the health and lifestyles of Indigenous Peoples, in particular nutrition as affected by food and food traditions.

"CINE is a university centre that is unique in the world because of its focus on traditional food systems of Indigenous Peoples. Our interdisciplinary approach to research and education gives exciting depth and breadth to our mission."
Dr. Harriet V. Kuhnlein, Founding Director

"We wondered if our food was still safe to eat, and nobody would ever answer that. So, we went further and we used CINE. We used them to our advantage, an organization ...with native organizations on the governing board. We carefully monitor what kind of research is being done for our people."
Norma Kassi, Chair (1996-98),
CINE Governing Board, Council of Yukon First Nations

The CINE Mission

In concert with Indigenous Peoples, CINE will undertake community-based research and education related to traditional food systems. The empirical knowledge of the environment inherent in Indigenous societies will be incorporated into all its efforts.

Objectives

CINE's Governing Board has created and approved a set of guiding principles and basic contributions for work with Indigenous Peoples and within McGill University.